April 18, 2023
Police Department
DATE: April 18, 2023
TO: Mayor Martinez and Members of the City Council
FROM:
Bisa French, Chief of Police
Subject:
Purchase Approval of One Instant Armor Ballistic Shield FINANCIAL IMPACT: There will be no impact to the General Fund. JAG Grant 2020 funds will be used to complete the purchase with no matching requirement. Total amount to be expended will
not exceed $43,656.06 – account string 10691021-
400603-19G06.
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
n/a
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
The City of Richmond Police Department wishes to utilize Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) grant funds to purchase
one tactical ballistic shield from Instant Armor, Inc.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
APPROVE the sole-source purchase of one tactical
ballistic shield from Instant Armor, Inc., in an amount not to exceed $43,656.06, using Justice Assistance Grant
(JAG) funds – Police Department (Bisa French 510-621-
1802).
AGENDA
REPORT
April 18, 2023
DISCUSSION:
The Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program allows units of local government to support a broad range of activities to prevent and control crime based on their local needs and conditions. Grant funds can be used for technical assistance, training, personnel, equipment, supplies, and contractual support.
Police officers face dangerous situations daily; however, there are numerous tools that can be used to protect the lives of the officers and/or bystanders. The product, Instant Armor, is a ballistic shield that is rated to stop rifle rounds and can be deployed in a matter of seconds. Instant Armor is a National Institute of Justice Threat Level III, blanket panel system that was invented and is solely manufactured by Instant Armor, Inc. and is manufactured in the United States.
This Level Ill rated tactical blanket system may have a misleading name as it is not a soft cozy blanket, but a portable wall type shield - and it is the only one of its kind that is rated to withstand rifle rounds.
The individual pieces can be linked together to form a solid, mobile shield, that Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) and Special Teams can use when encountering a barricaded suspect or preparing to face armed suspects in an occupied facility. Many of the "blanket" shield systems offered to police departments are soft, flexible, Kevlar coated fabric that are only rated for handgun rounds. Although Kevlar blankets can stop a bullet from penetrating skin, the impact from the bullet hitting the blanket can transfer to the officer behind it, causing a range of injuries.
Due to Instant Armor's Level Ill rated protection being rigid, a round fired by a rifle will not transfer enough energy to permanently injure a user behind it, keeping responding officers safe and reducing the chance of minor or life-threatening injuries. Many other SWAT agencies across the country use this vendor, as it is the only one with the patent.
Attachment 1 has a partial list of agencies that purchased an Instant Armor shield.
The purchase of this tactical defensive gear will be funded entirely by the Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) that was awarded to the Richmond Police Department in 2020 and is valid through September 30, 2023.
The Police Department is requesting that City Council approve the sole-source purchase of one tactical ballistic shield from Instant Armor, Inc. in an amount not to exceed $43,656.06.
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
Attachment 1 –Purchasing agencies list
Attachment 2 – Quote from Instant Armor, Inc.
Attachment 3 – Sole Source Form